Review: This Year’s Ardbeg Day Release Defies Gravity

What we’re drinking: Ardbeg Smokiverse

Where it’s from: Established in 1815, the Islay-based Ardbeg — now owned by The Glenmorangie Company — has a reputation for producing an extremely peaty and smoky single malt, along with several innovative, limited-time expressions.

Why we’re drinking this: Timing, really. Ardbeg Day is a global celebration of all things Ardbeg, held annually on the last Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt, Fèis Ile (so this year, it’s May 31). And that day also means there’s a new limited-edition whisky release from the distillery, which this year is called Smokiverse.

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“The limited editions we do for Ardbeg Day are a result of the whisky team coming together and doing something experimental in either the front or back end of the process,” says Jackie Thomson, Ardbeg Distillery Visitor Centre manager and Ardbeg Committee chair.

For the 2025 release, the experiment is a “high-gravity mash,” which means reducing the amount of water used in the packed mash tun. Gravity here is a measure of a wort’s density (a wort is a liquid created during mashing). This process leads to a fruitier and more tropical spirit.

“Smokiverse is the result of one of our fun experiments,” says Dr. Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s director of whisky creation (though his favorite Ardbeg experiment, which he brings up first, was when the distillery buried a few casks in peat bogs a few years back). “We’ve actually done something with gravity before, in a different way — we sent up some new make to the International Space Station.”

And this gravity is certainly different, as the wort density experiment was inspired by a trip Lumsden took to a pub back in 1986, where he tried Greene King Abbot Ale. “I was gobsmacked by how rich and fruity this beer was,” he says. “I became fascinated by where these lovely, fruity esters came from. And after a bit of research, I realized they were using a technique known as high-gravity brewing.”

How it tastes: Aged in ex-bourbon casks, Smokiverse comes in at 48.3% ABV with no stated age statement, although Lumsden suggests trying it against the Ardbeg 10 Year, which “will give you a clue to the age profile.” This one is decidedly fruit-forward with lots of pineapple. The smoke comes more at the end, but overall this is a really nice (but admittedly still very peaty) balance of biscuit, sweet smoke and tropical fruit.

Fun fact: Inspired by this high-gravity mash, the distillery is putting together a space-inspired universe for this year’s Ardbeg Day, filled with “cosmic games, space-themed cocktails, whisky tastings and smoky bites.”

Where to buy: Ardbeg Smokiverse is available to buy in the United States starting this month for $125 and on ReserveBar. If you need an incentive to sign up with the distillery’s Ardbeg Committee (it’s free to join!), those members were the first to receive a pre-sale link.